Going around Bali

Why not a surf trip? I haven't really officially gone back to surfing when I went to Bali last year so surfing was not a huge part of the itinerary. In fact, I was feeling a little lazy so wave checks  were out of the question. While my present self tells me - why did you not (surf)? - I comfort it in the fact that there was a  tiny skip in my heart when I peeped through my plane window and saw swells unfold into a rush of white water. I felt a pang of envy every time I'd see people load boards into pickups  and there was a shy rush of adrenaline when I was looking at surfers catch waves at Padang Padang.

All sorts of coffee

We arrived in Bali early morning. We went straight to The Haven in Seminyak and ate breakfast. Since check in won't be allowed until 2 PM, we decided to go on a city tour right away. There was a long queue of private car drivers right outside the hotel offering  tour services at surprisingly affordable rates! The first few hours came in quick. Dazed and very sleepy, I had to force my body to perk up and shake hands with monkeys, walk, and be consumed in the vastness of the sea (mostly to be consumed in the vastness of  the sea.

Ubud - looking so much like our very own Banaue Rice Terraces

On the second day, we went on a day trip to Ubud. Except for the rustic and coastal furniture pieces for sale on the side of the roads, it's almost like riding a bus to Baguio. We spend most of the day in Ubud - spacing out to the terraces, talking to locals and fellow tourists, buying stuff to bring back home - and then it rained. We rushed back to the car and drove back to Seminyak.

The Haven, our hotel in Seminyak

That night, we decided to take things slow and enjoy our hotel. Our hotel was a relaxing piece of tropical home! We bought a couple of Bintangs at a convenient store nearby and passed time by the pool. We may have been talking too loud because someone comes out and tells us to hush. He wasn't bitchy but his presence was enough to embarrass us. As soon as he's gone, this really cool woman in her 50s appears. She was sending off gypsy vibes  (maybe the tie dye tube dress gave it away) that soothed the big talker in me. She tells us to shrug the scrooge off and carry on. We indulge. Then we learn that she's from Australia. Her kids are all grown-ups and she's traveling around the world with her husband. When she speaks of Bali, her eyes light up and then I see a resemblance to Debbie Harry for a few seconds. She takes out a bottle of chardonnay and then two pieces of pomegranates. I hardly drink white but she squeezed the pomegranate into our glasses before we could even beg off. I sip and it tastes okay. That night, we slept buzzed and sound.

The last day was spent mostly at the beach. I downed a couple of Bintangs while the sun set in Kuta. It almost looked like La Union sunset except that the stage was a bigger shoreline foregrounding  shortboard riders whipping massive peels. What a pretty scene it was for a sunset sesh but there I was glued to the sun, not even batting an eyelash.

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Where to eat / drink in Bali